Hong Kong Marathon: Kenya’s Anderson Seroi claims ‘tough’ gold, Ethiopia’s Medina Armino takes women’s title
- Seroi seals victory in a time of two hours, 12 minutes and 50 seconds, with Armino clocking 2:28:47
- Kenyan Seroi already looking ahead to next year’s race when he wants to knock two minutes off his time
Anderson Seroi won the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday, crossing the finish line in a time of two hours, 12 minutes and 50 seconds, and immediately said he would be back next year trying to go even faster.
The Kenyan narrowly beat out South Africa’s Stephen Mokoka, who was second in 2:12:58, with Mekuant Ayenew third in 2:13:09.
On a day when the temperature was hovering around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) at the start, Ethiopia’s Medina Armino won the women’s event in 2:28:47, with Beatrice Cheptoo second in 2:29:30 and Gadise Mulu in 2:29:46.
Seroi pushed himself to the point he was sick once he crossed the finish line and said the Hong Kong race, with its regular climbs and descents, had been “tough”.
“First of all, I want to thank God for the win, but also Hong Kong, it’s a beautiful city,” Seroi said. “I feel really good, the course is tough but I enjoy running it.”
And, despite the pain, the 30-year-old said he was already thinking about returning next year. “I ran two hours 12 this year, so next year I’ll aim for two hours 10,” he said.
